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Biometric visa registration for Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims is likely to start after Eid-ul-Fitr this year.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has made the system mandatory for all pilgrims from Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt and Pakistan.
Under the new scheme, Bangladeshi pilgrims must submit their visa applications through the biometric method in order to perform Hajj this year. Face, fingerprint and iris recognition of a pilgrim will be scanned.
The Saudi Embassy in Dhaka recently forwarded the notification to the foreign ministry in this connection.
When contacted, the deputy secretary (Hajj-1) of the religious affairs ministry said, "We will sit soon to start the biometric visa registration process. We are taking preparation in this connection."
He also told the FE that the biometric process for the pilgrims is likely to start by the end of April or in the first week of May.
Bangladeshi pilgrims can also download the Saudi Visa Biometric app from the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store to submit the biometric data. Pilgrims will not get Saudi visas without biometric registration through the app.
Biometric means physical or behavioural human characteristics recorded by an electronic device or system.
More than 0.127 million Bangladeshi Muslims will be able to perform Hajj this year. In this regard, the government has already signed an agreement with KSA.
Under the Makkah Rout Initiative, the arrival immigration process for the pilgrims will be completed in Dhaka instead of Jeddah or Medina. This means, the pilgrims have to wait for a longer period before departure, but they will face no delay for immigration clearance once they arrive in Saudi Arabia.
Of the total pilgrim quota, some 15,000 people will go to Hajj under government management, while 1,12,198 can go under private management. After being extended for four times, the registration is scheduled to close today (March 27).
Meanwhile, the Hajj office in Dhaka has already started to provide the pilgrim identification (PID) number. Pilgrims are receiving their PID through text messages.
The government in the last week also modestly reduced the cost of the Hajj package, following the Saudi government’s reduction of the cost of service for different countries by 413 Saudi Riyal (Tk 11,725).
The cost of the hajj package under government hajj management has been revised down to Tk 6.71 lakh, which was earlier Tk 6.83 lakh. Those who have registered by paying the full amount before March 22 will get a refund of Tk 46,725 from the Hajj office in Dhaka.
The cost of the package under private management has also been reduced to Tk 6.60 lakh from Tk 6.72 lakh. The Hajj agency has been instructed to refund Tk 11,725 to the pilgrims who registered under private management.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs on Sunday sent a letter to the three airlines -- Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Saudia Airlines and Flynas -- to finalise the Hajj flight schedule on an urgent basis.
This year's Hajj flights will start on May 21. Biman Bangladesh is set to operate 160 dedicated pre-Hajj flights that will end on June 22 before Hajj.